12/26/13 - Nearly 3,000 residences and businesses in northern Livingston County remain without power after a weekend ice storm struck much of the state. Consumers Energy says it still had 2,900 customers without electrical service in Tyrone, Deerfield and Cohoctah townships. Officials say it will likely be Saturday before they can restore most of those outages. Spokeswoman Debra Dodd tells WHMI they understand the frustration being experienced by their customers, but they are taking every measure possible to restore power. "We are working 24/7. We have 2,900 employees between our office and line workers and damage assessors out in the field. We've got crews from 11 different states and additional crews coming from three additional states today. We are just working as hard as we can, but this has been the most catastrophic storm our company has ever experienced during a holiday week in our 126 year existence." Dodd says they are also urging customers using portable generators to make sure they are located outside the home and not in a garage or other enclosed space. Officials say there have been at least two carbon monoxide poisoning deaths related to generator use since the weekend storm. She also reminds residents that as they continue their clean-up efforts, they may still come across downed power lines and that those must always be treated as live wires. They are advised to remain at least 25 feet away and report the line by calling 1-800-477-5050 immediately. The majority of Consumers Energy crews are working in the Grand Rapids area and other areas of West Michigan today, with plans to be in Kalamazoo and Montcalm counties on Friday. They will then concentrate on Genesee, Ingham, Livingston, Oakland and Shiawassee counties on Saturday. (JK)
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